coleus

UK: /ˈkəʊlɪəs/ US: (kō′lē əs)

Inflections of 'coleus' (n): npl: coleuses

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

co•le•us  (kō′lē əs), n., pl. -us•es. 

1. Plant Biology any of several tropical Asian or African plants belonging to the genus Coleus, of the mint family, certain species of which are cultivated for their showy, colored foliage and blue flowers.

• Greek koleós, variant of koleón sheath, scabbard; akin to conceal, hull¹
• Neo-Latin
• 1865–70

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

coleus / ˈkəʊlɪəs/ noun ( -uses)

1. any plant of the Old World genus Coleus: cultivated for their variegated leaves, typically marked with red, yellow, or white: family Lamiaceae (labiates)

Etymology: 19th Century: from New Latin, from Greek koleos, variant of koleon sheath; from the way in which the stamens are joined